Haley: UNHRC report 'reeks of anti-Israel bias'

U.S. envoy to the UN criticizes latest anti-Israel UNHRC report.

Elad Benari, 14/06/17 06:08

Nikki Haley

Reuters

Nikki Haley, the United States Ambassador to the UN, on Tuesday expressed concern about an anti-Israel report released by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, which offered to “advise and support” efforts to create a “blacklist” database of companies operating in Judea, Samaria, the Golan Heights, and eastern Jerusalem.

The report, released on Monday, also criticizes Israel for failing to bring perpetrators of alleged war crimes to justice and blasts Israel for its alleged “rejection of the applicable legal framework and of its obligations in the occupied Palestinian territory.”

In a statement issued on Tuesday, Haley said, “This report is just the latest example of the Human Rights Council singling out Israel rather than focusing on the world’s actual human rights abusers. Not only does it undermine the credibility of the Human Rights Council on human rights issues, but it once again highlights the unfair bias of the UN when it comes to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”

“Rather than providing an impartial and informative update on human rights violations,” the statement continued, “the report reeks of the anti-Israel bias that Ambassador Haley has been calling out since day one on the job, most recently in Geneva last week.”

The statement also pointed out how the report ignores terror attacks by Hamas and other violent groups while “choosing to fixate on matters like the human rights practices of companies in the region.”

“It’s actions like these that are forcing us to evaluate the United States’ future on the Human Rights Council. The Council, and indeed the entire United Nations, were founded on the principles of equality and fairness. This report once again fails that mission,” said Haley.

The report was compiled by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Raed al-Hussein, and will be discussed by the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) on June 19.

It is the latest attempt by the UNHRC to single out Israel for criticism, which it often does while ignoring other conflicts in the region, such as the ongoing bloody civil war in Syria.

In March, the council passed a series of anti-Israel resolutions, including a motion condemning Israel for its construction in Judea, Samaria, eastern Jerusalem and the Golan Heights and urging states and firms to avoid ties with “settlements”.

Just last week, Haley blasted the UNHRC for its obsession with criticizing Israel, saying, “It is essential that this council address its chronic anti-Israel bias if it is to have any credibility.”

Earlier on Tuesday, Israel's UN Ambassador, Danny Danon, criticized the report as well, calling it “biased and one-sided” and noting that it “ignores the daily incitement to violence and the ongoing terror attacks planned and executed against Israel by the Palestinians.”